The Gambler

by Lois Greiman

  Charm's mouth formed a circle of surprise, but there was no time to delay. Pushing her back into her chair, he found his own seat.

  "Put it away," he insisted quietly.

  "What?" Her eyes were round and her tone breathless.

  "Hide it," he ordered, but through his teeth now, for the trouble he'd seen approaching had materialized into a man.

  "Well... Mr. Joseph Scott," said a familiar voice. Clancy Bodine, damn his hide, spoke with the molasses-slow drawl of the Southern boy he was. "Been a long time."

  Charm sat immobile, still staring at Raven as if he'd lost his mind.

  Hide the blasted Bible! Raven wanted to yell. But such agitation might cause a bit of suspicion. So instead he rose slowly to his feet, pushed his sleeves away from his wrists, and slammed his fist squarely into Clancy Bodine's handsome face.

  Bodine careened backward, crashing into a chair that broke beneath him like a matchstick house. He lay motionless there, momentarily stunned, his battered hat askew.

  There was a gasp from Charm and a brief moment of silence from the cardplayers next door. Clancy put a hand to his chin. He grimaced, looking only mildly surprised and waggling his jaw a bit as if to make certain it was still attached. "Can I assume, then, that you're still carryin' a grudge?" he asked, looking up from the floor.

  "No." Raven kept his gaze on his ex-partner as he shook the pain from his bruised knuckles. Clancy always did have a hard head. "No. I don't hold grudges," he said, and seeing that Charm had finally stashed the Bible back under cover, he sat down.

  "Well..." Bodine rose slowly, grimacing again, this time as his back left the broken shreds of the chair beneath him. "It's good to know you learned somethin' from me, Joseph."

  For just a moment Charm had hoped she might be afforded a chance to slip away unnoticed, but she saw now that was not the case, for the violence seemed to have come to an abrupt and quite unsatisfactory finish. Watching the man called Raven, though, she saw his left brow dip slightly over his deep-set eyes and wondered if it might not be a sign of anger. Since she had already learned she was a poor judge of the man's thoughts she could only hope—not be sure—such was the case. He should have been holding the losing hand when gambling with Jude. His every idiosyncrasy had indicated poor cards. And yet he had won. Maybe the man would lose his temper now and provide her a chance to escape.

  Luck was certainly not a lady. It was a man!

  "Sure," said Raven now. "I learned a great deal from you, Bodine. Nothing that wouldn't get me hanged. But a great deal, nevertheless."

  Clancy laughed, wiggling his jaw again and approaching casually.

  Beneath the table, Charm opened the drawstring of her reticule and slipped her hand inside to let it rest there unseen. She had difficulty breathing the stifling air. Who was this Raven, and what did he want? And now Clancy Bodine! Feeling the panic well up within her, she closed her hand about a smooth, familiar object, drawing comfort from its presence. She sat in silence, carefully reading every nuance of her unwelcome companions and waiting for the proper moment to escape.

  "Now, Joseph, you're bein' unfair," Bodine complained. "You wouldn't want to give your ladyfriend here the wrong impression." He turned toward Charm now and removed his hat as he smiled. His teeth were perfect, his ruffled mop of hair wheat-toned, and eyes so blue she was certain a host of women had been lost in them.

  As for Charm, she closed her fingers about the hard, cool handle of her tiny derringer. Remembering every lesson her father had taught her, she forced herself to breathe regularly. Her muscles were taut, and in her head she chanted a silent biblical verse regarding the sins of man.

  "Let me apologize for Mr. Scott's rudeness," Clancy said with a bow, widening his smile slightly. "We must forgive him," he said, his voice dropping to a whisper that easily carried to Raven's ears as well as her own. "The boy was shortchanged in his upbringin'." Clancy nodded, glancing momentarily at Raven. "But it wasn't his fault. And I did all I could to help. By the way, I'm Clancy Bodine and happy t'meet you, miss..." He paused, extending his hand and waiting for her response.

  Charm remained perfectly immobile, fighting down the consuming terror caused by his closeness. She wouldn't shoot him... yet. "The Lord is my Shepherd," she murmured.

  "I beg your pardon?" Nonplussed, Clancy drew his hand back.

  "Her name is Charm." Raven's voice was flat.

  "Really?" Clancy asked, smiling at her again before reaching behind him to pull up an unbroken chair. "Charm? I should have guessed." He spun the spindled back beneath his hand and straddled the thing. "And how did you two meet?"

  He was too friendly and too close. She didn't like friendly, and she hated close. It made her air passages close up. Made the black nightmares return.

  "She can talk, can't she, Joseph?" Clancy asked. "Not that it would matter none, but I was just wonderin'."

  "What do you want, Bodine?" Raven asked, finally diverting Clancy's attention from Charm. Air rushed back into her lungs, and her fingers loosened slightly.

  "You're so suspicious, Joseph. If I was the one sitting across from a lady like that, I'd be on my best behavior."

  Raven shifted slightly in his chair, stretching his legs out under the table. Although she tried, Charm found she could neither read his emotions nor guess his thoughts. It was a disconcerting feeling, as if she were groping about in the dark.

  "Your best behavior," Raven said. "And how would I differentiate that from your worst?"

  "Ooo." Clancy groaned. "That hurt. You've developed a sharp tongue, Joseph," he complained, turning to look at Charm. "Doesn't he have a sharp tongue?" He paused. "Damn, she's pretty! Where did you say you met her?"

  Bodine was looking at her again, but more intently now, making the hairs on the back of Charm's neck stand upright.

  "What in blazes happened to my chair?" The proprietor had arrived, carrying two platters of food. He sported a dangerous scowl but blessedly drew the men's attention from Charm.

  "Joseph here has a hell of a right hook. But," Clancy said with a shrug, "I guess I can't blame 'im. Put the damages on my bill."

  The plates were set on the table with a grunt, and in a moment the server was gone, grumbling back toward the kitchen.

  Raven cut up his steak, seeming to ignore his companions, but Clancy was not easily disregarded.

  "Don't worry about the cost of the chair, Joseph," said he magnanimously. Raven's left brow again dipped almost imperceptibly over those dark, deep-set eyes, Charm noticed. "I've had me some luck tonight," Clancy continued happily. "Course, not so much as you." He turned his gaze on Charm again. "Where did you say you met her?"

  "Bodine," Raven said, his voice low.

  "Yeah?"

  "Get lost."

  Clancy grinned. "Thought you said you didn't hold no grudges, boy," he argued mildly.

  "I don't." Raven's knife was poised over his plate. "I just don't like to eat with snakes. It turns my stomach."

  "Now that one really hurt," Clancy said with a dramatic wince. "And after all I've done for you. You wouldn't know it to listen to 'im, Miss Charm, but Joseph and me is really very close. Like brothers. Matter of fact, for all we know, we could be brothers," he said, and he laughed.

  For a fraction of a moment Charm thought Raven would strike. She saw the tendons in his wrists tighten, felt the tension, but again she misjudged him.

  "Oh, come on, boy, loosen up. You always did take things too damn serious."

  "And you always thought a lynch mob was too funny, but only if they're after my neck," said Raven.

  "Hey, they didn't catch you, did they?" Clancy asked then waited momentarily for an answer. "No. 'Course they didn't or you wouldn't be here with this stunnin' lady. Where did you say you met her?"

  "I should kill you, Bodine." Raven said the words very casually and sat back, causing Clancy to laugh again.

  "But you won't, cause I'm so damned charmin'. Not as charmin' as her." He nodded toward Charm. "But charmin'
nonetheless."

  "What did you do with the money?" asked Raven finally, watching Bodine as one might watch a coiled rattler.

  "For that Georgia deal? Oh, I didn't get paid. You think I got paid for that job?" questioned Clancy, looking shocked as his tone rose slightly. There was not, Charm noticed, a shred of honesty in his expression. "I didn't get a penny. The boy got away." He canted his head, studying Raven. "I thought you might've knowed that. Thought it might've been you who helped him escape, once you'd learned the truth."

  Raven said nothing. He kept his gaze level.

  "Hey. Don't go looking at me like that. I was as surprised as you. Thought they just wanted us to find young Josh so's he'd return some stolen goods. Thirty days in the jug and all that. How'd I know they planned to string him up?" He shook his head. "Guess Southern gents don't like their gals messed with."

  Raven's expression remained unchanged. "So you're saying you had nothing to do with them thinking I helped the boy escape?"

  "Me?" Shock stamped Clancy's tone again. "No! You still thinkin' I'm holding a grudge since you broke up the partnership? Hell, it's best you went yer own way. You always had too soft a heart fer me."

  Raven began to eat again. Charm noticed that he was left-handed like Jude. She stashed that information away.

  "And you always had an imagination, Bodine," he said now.

  "Yeah." Clancy laughed. "Yeah, that I did. Hey, like to join us in a game of poker?" He nodded toward the open doorway where men still sat around a table. "Been a long time. Maybe I'll let you win. Like I used to. But then, maybe you brought your luck with you tonight, huh?" He turned his smile on Charm. "Damn, she's pretty. Where did you say you met her?"

  Raven's wrist tendons were tight again, but he showed no other signs of tension that Charm could discern.

  "You out here on a job, Joseph, or still searchin' for your old man?" Clancy didn't turn his attention from Charm when he asked. Raven's expression changed, but so slightly and so quickly that Charm failed to interpret it.

  "I'm working," answered Raven. "Was offered ten thousand dollars to find the queen of England. You seen her around?"

  Clancy threw back his head and laughed, causing Charm to jump at the sound, though in a moment she recognized it as honest mirth. "Well, it just so happens I'm on a hunt," he said with a nod. "Looking for a gal named Chantilly Grady. From St. Louis. You heard of her?"

  "I saw the ad," said Raven evenly. "Who didn't?"

  "Hey, you want to find her together? Partners again?"

  "I'd rather live a couple more years, if you don't mind."

  Clancy laughed again, seeming to find Raven's opinion of him quite amusing. "This Grady deal ain't nothin' like that. No risk. Course, there ain't much information 'bout her. She could be 'most anyone." He turned a broad smile on Charm. She shrank away mentally while making certain her physical being remained as it was. "You sure your name ain't Chantilly?"

  For a moment she failed to find her voice, but this time Raven wasn't speaking for her. She lifted her chin, remembering to breathe. "No. It's Charm. Charm Fergusson."

  "Ahhh." Clancy sighed. "Too bad. Just my luck Grady'll be ugly as a snakebit possum."

  Charm shifted her fingers gently on the trigger of her hidden derringer and managed again to speak. "Are you a lawman, Mr. Bodine?"

  She heard Raven's derisive snort mix with Clancy's chuckle.

  "Me? No. I'm a detective. You sure you ain't Chantilly Grady, huh?"

  She shook her head, wanting desperately to be gone from here. It wasn't fear exactly, but she had never thought of a better way to describe this horrible tension. And, too, Jude needed her. She shouldn't have left him alone. Not after that loss at poker. But what choice had she had?

  "If you'll excuse me." She forced out the words. They sounded surprisingly cool. "I must see to my father."

  To her amazement, Raven nodded his agreement and rose. Clancy scowled. "But, Miss Charm, you ain't ate a bite."

  She rose, too. "Jude's not well." And if he had found a bottle, she would make Raven Scott sorry. "It's been..." She paused. Remembering how the elegant Southern ladies spoke, she tried to emulate their aloof politeness. "It's been utterly delightful meeting you."

  Clancy stood, still straddling his chair before swinging it out beside him. "Very delightful." He reached for her hand.

  She sucked in her breath and turned, trying to look casual. But now the door was within sight, and freedom loomed before her. From behind came the sound of coins dropping to the table, the rumble of combative voices. Then quick footsteps followed her. She hastened her retreat.

  Only one man pursued her. Of that she was certain and grateful, for if she could just get outside, she would lose him.

  The door creaked as she pulled it open. She hurried through, feeling fear grip her in clammy hands. Darkness engulfed her. The door groaned closed behind. Without a moment's delay, Charm lifted her skirts and sprinted off down the hard-packed street. Her reticule was clasped in a tight grip, her heart hammering, but even over the sound of her thudding terror, she could hear the door moan open behind her.

  "Charm." Raven's voice was a raised whisper. "Where..."

  There was a moment of silence. Charm used every second, realizing she would not have many, somehow knowing he would follow her.

  From up ahead came the sound of approaching horses. It was all the inspiration she needed. The livery stable was near. Suddenly she could smell the tangy barnyard fragrance. A horse nickered. On her right was a broad, open doorway. Light spilled out at a diffused, yellow slant, but she had no choice but to dash through it, knowing that her pursuer would see her. Up ahead, a wagon stood unhitched. Ten more strides and she was past it and out of Raven's sight. Lungs aching, she spurted along the side of the livery, hoping against hope that the devil's spawn would think she had gone on. But still she needed a place to hide. Somewhere unlikely. Pale light spilled from an overhead stable window. He would not expect her to hide somewhere well lit and possibly inhabited.

  Adjacent to the barn was a fenced area. Up the side of the building a ladder ran toward a dim square of light. It was a small doorway from which hay could be thrown. Twice, the heel of her boot caught in her skirts as she hiked upward, but finally she was in the safety of the loft.

  Last year's fodder lay in mounded piles, tied in bundles or left loose. It was a perfect place to hide and a good soft spot to spend the night if need be. The hay would offer relative comfort, and from the height of the loft, she could watch for trouble. Charm drew a deep breath. She'd finally outwitted him. Lost him. She'd rest for a while and wait, and then when she was certain he would bother her no more, she'd sneak from hiding and find Jude. It would be very simple now. No need to fear. He was only a man, after all, with a man's shallow instincts and very little...

  "Hello," said Raven and grabbed her arms.

  She squealed in terror.

  "I'm beginning to think you're more the criminal than I realized," he said, "because you sure know how to lose a fellow." Luckily there was no one in the stable below to take exception to his actions. Not that he planned to harm her, of course. She was just a girl, after all.

  It was at that precise moment that her knee slammed into his crotch. Pain blasted through his groin. There was nothing he could do but crumple to his knees. Every nerve ending begged for mercy. There was none to be found from Charm. She lunged for the ladder. But the toe of her boot caught in her hem and she faltered. It was just for a moment, but it was all the chance Raven needed. Anger welled up on the crest of pain, spurring him into action. He leaped after, slamming into her fleeing form and dragging her down.

  She wriggled beneath him. He remained immobile and agonized, trying to wrestle his muscles into submission. But that one leap was all he could manage for the moment, and so he lay heavy as an inert log, sucking air through his teeth and trying to keep her still to lessen the shattering pain that crippled his body.

  She bucked, trying to dislodge him. Rave
n moaned a curse through his teeth, but already she was squirming away. He grappled for a better hold, but somehow she found her feet.

  Frantically, he willed his fingers to work. They snagged in her skirt. There was the sound of rending fabric melded with a squeal of dismay as she fell. He thumped his weight fully atop her, hearing her breath leave her in a whoosh of anguish.

  For a moment all was silent, and then they were both breathing hard, fighting to do nothing more than fill their lungs with air.

  "What the... devil... is wrong with you, woman?" he finally managed to ask, closing his eyes as he gripped both her arms with his hands and let his upper body crush against her back.

  "Get... off me," she ordered, her voice tight.

  "Not on your life."

  "Jude'll kill you!"

  Raven drew a deep breath and settled his knees beside her legs to lever his body painfully upward. "Not before I get a few answers."

  It was ridiculously difficult to pry the girl over on her back without giving her the opportunity to get away, but finally she was face up on the straw, and he was astride again. Her hair had come loose and spread dark and wild against the golden wheat stalks beneath. Her eyes snapped with temper. One daring wisp of hay projected from above her left ear at a jaunty angle.

  Blast it all if Clancy hadn't been right. She was stunning. Mean as a cornered cougar, but stunning. He stared at her from only inches away, momentarily forgetting his mission and realizing finally that she had become very still beneath him.

  "You're looking at me." Her words were low and sounded rather silly, considering that he was also sitting on her abdomen while he pinned her arms up above her head. Still, the ridiculousness of the situation only barely reached his brain, for despite it all, she fascinated him.

  "Who could not?" he asked quietly.

  She stared at him, her eyes wide and dark, evidencing an emotion he couldn't quite place.